Join the North Country Chamber Players as they perform pieces of Beethoven, Haydn and Ewazen.

North Country Chamber Players

Winterlude 2026:

THE ARCHDUKE

Beethoven’s Piano Trio in Bb, Op. 97, “The Archduke”, dedicated to Archduke Rudolph of Austria, his patron and friend, which is how the work got its nickname, is considered a crowning achievement of Beethoven’s “heroic” Middle Period and marked a turning point in his exploration of harmony and chamber music form. It signaled new directions for both Beethoven and future composers of piano trios.​ Celebrated as one of the greatest chamber music pieces in history, notable for its grandeur, emotional depth, and innovative structure, it features a four-movement symphonic design, a lyrical and spacious style, and a profound and emotionally resonant third movement, which many consider the heart of the entire work.​ Rounding out the program is a charming trio by Franz Joscph Haydn, who’s own brilliance and accomplishments made Beethoven’s innovations possible, and a wonderfully kaleidoscopic trio, for flute, horn and piano, by Eric Ewazen, a beneficiary of both earlier composers, which is full of dramatic flourishes, gentle, expressive melodies and energetic, dance-like rhythmic interplay.

***PROGRAM***

Franz Joseph Haydn London Trio No. 1 in C Major for flute, violin and violoncello

Eric Ewazen: Ballade, Pastorale and Dance (1993) for flute, horn and piano

Ludwig von Beethoven Piano Trio in Bb Major, Op. 97, “Archduke”

***ARTISTS***

Susan Nidel, flute

Bernhard Scully, horn

Ronnie Bauch, violin

Ari Evan, violoncello

Reiko Uchida, piano